The scriptures teach plainly that Christ went to paradise after His death. In Luke 23:43 we read these words: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Jesus clearly told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise. One thing we know from the scriptures to be true is that paradise is not hell, and neither is hell paradise.
Verse 26 of Romans 11 is the conclusion to the allegory. Paul says, "And SO all Israel shall be saved." Paul doesn't say, "all Israel shall be saved," but "SO all Israel shall be saved." The word "so" is an adverb of manner. It means in such a way, or in such a manner, all Israel shall be saved. The idea is that they will be saved in the same manner in which they are grafted back into the Olive Tree, through belief that Jesus is the Messiah.
What is the gospel? It is 1) the Good News, 2) the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus, 3) the Power of God to Salvation. Each hearer will be able to answer the question, “What is the gospel?” I want to communicate that the gospel is God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
When God brought the children of Israel out of bondage, He instructed Moses to tell them this: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My […]
What does it mean to be defiled? The Pharisees had one definition. Jesus had a different definition. In this lesson, we will examine 1) the meaning, 2) the manner, and 3) the menace of defilement. Each hearer will be able to explain that defilement originates in the heart, not from some external source. The aim of this lesson is to communicate that Christianity teaches personal responsibility.
Should we assemble on the Sabbath to worship? Some religious folks do, but the Bible never commands Christians to do this.
In this lesson we will examine three practical ways in which we can make it easy to forbear and forgive one another. The objective of this lesson is to seek to practice forbearance and forgiveness of one another in our lives.
Revelation 22 pictures paradise reclaimed and offers a path to it. In this chapter we find 1) A Reward for the Faithful 2) A Watch for the Living, 3) A Warning for the Wicked. The hearer should understand that God is working to restore us to His original plan and we must obey him to get there.
In this lesson, we will answer the question, What is the Church? We must understand God’s original design in the creation. When we understand this, we will understand what the church is in relationship to God’s great plan to restore unity between God and man, and between man and man. Each member should understand God’s desire for unity in the church as the restoration of His purposes in creation.
In Revelation 21, we see how the righteous live forever in the city of New Jerusalem. We see 1) The Coming of the City, 2) The Composition of the City, 3) The Consecration of the City. Each hearer should understand that the New Jerusalem is a spiritual city that will be eternally inhabited by the righteous. It is my aim to impress upon each person that this city is the people of God.
In this lesson, we will look at four blessings of salvation 1) Remission of Sin, 2) Refreshing from the Lord, 3) Restoration of Fellowship, 4) Rejoicing in Heaven. The objective of this lesson is for the hearer to better understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. In understanding our blessings, we should be motivated to live responsibly.
In this lesson we will look at three great mothers of the Bible 1) Jochebed them mother of Moses, 2) Hannah the mother of Samuel, and 3) Mary, the mother of Jesus. Each hearer will be able to discuss these mothers’ spiritual qualities. It was not worldly values that made these mothers great, but spiritual.
Some may ask, “Doesn’t the Bible teach us to obey the government?” Yes. Passages such as Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 command us to obey the law and even […]
In this lesson we will seek to understand how to pray we must consider the Character, Circumstance, Content, and Consequences of prayer. The listener should be able to learn how to pray effectively. The aim of this sermon is to teach the basic concept of prayer and to help those who are learning.
In this lesson we will study the question, “What must I do to be saved?” In the scriptures this question was asked three times and we will study each of these circumstances and the answer to the question in each of these circumstances understanding this: that if the same question is asked today, it should be answered in the same way. The hearer should be able to know where these passage are and be able to use them to answer the same question for those who ask in the world today. The aim of this lesson is to empower each individual Christian to be able to answer this most critical question.
In this lesson, we will study 2 Samuel 6 and the account of David’s bringing the ark to Jerusalem. The hearer will consider the errors and successes of David in an effort to understand how God desires us to regard His holy things. It is my aim to teach some lessons regarding holiness in worship.
This is a common expression that is used in prayer. The word “molestation” here means not to be bothered by those who would interrupt the worship services. The idea is that we desire to have a peaceful experience when we are worshipping.
The Bible doesn’t explicitly discuss the concept of self-defense at length, but from what we know, a person is allowed to defend himself if his life were in jeopardy but for no other reason.
Advocates of same-sex marriage use the following argument: “Love” experienced by heterosexuals is the same as “love” experienced by homosexuals. (“Love is love.”) And, (as Frank Sinatra sang) “Love […]
This lesson seeks to address the question of can we know truth in our relativistic culture. The objective of this lesson is to equip high school and college students to defend their faith regarding truth.